Berlin vs Nuremberg for couples

Berlin and Nuremberg are both in Germany, about 378 km apart. Every figure below comes from the data behind our city pages: an estimated monthly cost for a couple, tax tier, annual climate, safety, healthcare, internet speed, language and residency rules. Nuremberg leads on cost.

See whether Berlin or Nuremberg ranks higher for you

12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

Side by side

FactorBerlinNuremberg
CountryGermanyGermany
SizeLarge: 1 to 5 million peopleMid-sized: 250,000 to 1 million people
SettingNear the coastInland
Est. cost for a couple€3,844 a month€3,563 a month
Tax tierHigh taxHigh tax
Average temperature11°C10°C
Rainfall584 mm a year679 mm a year
Safety65 / 10065 / 100
Healthcare79 / 10079 / 100
Internet (median fixed)~90 Mbps~90 Mbps
Main languagesGermanGerman
EnglishGood EnglishGood English
Long-term residencyComparatively openComparatively open
Self-funded income routeFrom $1,270 a monthFrom $1,270 a month
Visa-free short visits93 of 198 passports93 of 198 passports

Source: the datasets behind our city pages. Cost is our model estimate (a country-level cost index scaled for city size); tax tiers are assigned by hand from each country's top marginal income tax rate and overall tax reputation; temperature from the Open-Meteo archive (2019 to 2023 averages); rainfall from TerraClimate (1991 to 2020 normals); safety and healthcare are our own country-level estimates; internet from the Ookla Speedtest Global Index; English from the EF English Proficiency Index; residency from our hand-reviewed residency dataset (not legal advice); short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset.

Factor by factor

Cost of living

Nuremberg is cheaper: we estimate about €3,563 a month for a couple living centrally, against €3,844 in Berlin. That is €281 a month, or 7%, less.

Taxes

Same country, same tax: Germany is in our high tax tier.

Climate

Berlin is 1°C warmer on average over the year: 11°C against 10°C in Nuremberg. Berlin is drier, with about 584 mm of rain a year against 679 mm in Nuremberg (14% less).

Safety

Our safety score is country-level, so both cities get the same 65 out of 100.

Healthcare

Our healthcare score is country-level, so both cities get the same 79 out of 100.

Internet

Our broadband figure is country-level: about 90 Mbps median fixed download in both.

Language

Main languages in both: German. English proficiency is rated the same in both: good English.

Residency and visas

Same country, same rules: long-term residency in Germany is rated comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $1,270 a month in income.

Which one fits a couple

On the factors we measure, Nuremberg leads on cost (€3,563 against €3,844 a month), and Berlin leads on none of them. What our data does not cover can still tip it toward Berlin: jobs, family nearby, or simply which one each of you prefers after a visit.

Size differs too: Berlin is a large city (1 to 5 million people) and Nuremberg a mid-sized one (250,000 to 1 million people). Berlin is near the coast; Nuremberg is inland.

OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Berlin, Nuremberg and 913 other cities for both of you at once.

Read more

Other comparisons